UFC 155 wasn’t the best card of the year, but the two headlining fights certainly did not disappoint, providing one last-minute “Fight of the Year” candidate and a new heavyweight champion.
Several other bouts also helped establish, and eliminate, contenders in multiple weight classes.
BIGGEST WINNER
Cain Velasquez: This bout was do or die for the American Kickboxing Academy product, so Velasquez made sure this title fight looked nothing like the first one.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil executed a UFC record 11 takedowns and relentless ground and pound to overwhelm Junior dos Santos for five rounds.
The icing on the cake for Velasquez, who was knocked out by JDS in just 64 seconds at UFC on FOX 1 in Nov. of last year, was a huge right hand that rocked the Brazilian early in the first round.
As commentator Joe Rogan noted, fans and analysts hate when fighters use injuries as an excuse, but there is no question now that a knee injury hampered Cain’s performance in his first meeting with dos Santos.
WINNER
Joe Lauzon: Yes, “J-Lau” is a loser via unanimous decision in the record books, but that doesn’t cancel out the practically superhuman effort he put forth against Jim Miller on Saturday night.
Miller looked like he would make short work of Lauzon, busting him open with vicious strikes in the opening minute, but Lauzon rallied back in the second round and nearly pulled off a miracle submission in the closing moments of the fight.
This was just Lauzon’s third time going to a decision in his 30-fight career and his eleventh fight bonus in the UFC, so even though he probably will never fight for a title, his gutsy and aggressive style has essentially earned him a spot on the UFC’s “do not cut” list.
WINNER
Jim Miller: The New Jersey native was a 2-1 favorite heading into his bout with Lauzon, but he was still in desperate need of a win after getting completely outclassed by Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 3 in May (which took place in East Rutherford, NJ).
The loss apparently did Miller a world of good, as his striking, wrestling and jiu-jitsu looked better than ever against another very competent striker and submission specialist.
Miller may never defeat a top five fighter and earn a title shot at lightweight, but his entertaining style and toughness will never be ignored.
WINNER
Costa Philippou: Some analysts had Philippou outside the middleweight division’s top 25 heading into his fight with Tim Boetsch, but he proved his naysayers wrong.
After losing the first round, the former professional boxer rallied back to score a TKO over “The Barbarian.” Philippou, who accepted the fight on short notice, is unquestionably a top 10 fighter now.
Fun fact: Philippou went 4-0 inside the Octagon in 2012.
BIGGEST LOSER
Melvin Guillard: After a couple weeks of trash talking, “The Young Assassin” lost a fairly clear-cut decision to Jamie Varner.
Not being able to back up his mouth is the least of Guillard’s problems though, as he has now lost four of his past five bouts with his only win being over the relatively unknown Fabricio Camoes.
Guillard had the look of a future champion after winning five fights in a row between 2010 and 2011, but he is now in serious danger of getting a pink slip.
LOSER
Junior dos Santos: Unbeaten in the UFC and already holding a victory over Cain Velasquez, another successful title defense seemed academic for “Cigano.”
That’s not the way it went down though, as Velasquez relentlessly beat on dos Santos for five rounds, refusing to give the champion any room to breath.
Dos Santos deserves a lot of credit for showing the true heart of a champion and is unquestionably still one the best heavyweights in the world. However, he has a lot to be worried about when he sees Velasquez in a rubber match.
LOSER
Tim Boetsch: No one had worse luck at UFC 155 than Tim Boetsch. Boasting a perfect 4-0 record at middleweight, “The Barbarian” won round 1 of his bout with Costa Philippou.
That’s when the wheels all seemed to fall off in a matter of minutes. Boetsch broke his right hand, was badly cut open as the result of an accidental head butt and then hindered by an accidental poke in the eye.
Boetsch managed to will his way into the third round, but unable to see and execute much on offense, he desperately pulled half guard succumbed to Philipou’s vicious ground and pound. Still, wins over Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard leave Boetsch relevant at middleweight.
LOSER
Alan Belcher: After defeating submission specialist Rousimar Palhares at his own game at UFC on FOX 3 in May, it looked like Alan Belcher had come into his own and ready to contender with the best fighters at 185-pounds.
Many pundits expected “The Talent” to avenge a 2006 loss to Yushin Okami with ease. Instead, the rematch looked like the first fight all over again: with Okami dominating from the top position and Belcher having no answers from the bottom.
The loss is particularly bad as before the fight, he stated that he would be able to keep the fight standing and showcase his vicious kickboxing. That simply didn’t happen and now Belcher falls back to the middle of the pack.